1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a flexibly adaptable method and system for providing real estate information, and in particular to a method and system that provides variable information and input for users based on predetermined criteria, such as the location of the property and information requirements associated with that location.
2. Background of the Technology
The ability to describe real property in exhaustive detail has become necessary in the real estate industry. From the moment an owner executes a contract declaring real property for sale or rent, his listing agent is under pressure to effectively and quickly market the property to the public. When a potential buyer inquires about the possibility of a move, the buyer's agent must quickly retrieve countless properties matching the criteria. The listings must be presented in full detail before the buyer commits to the time-expensive trip down the road (or across the country) to view property in person.
Real Estate, while a global industry, is subject to variation by locale. For example, a ‘patio’ on the East Coast, is called a ‘lanai’ in Hawaii. Furthermore, specific regions require tracking of fields not present in the core database in the prior art. For example, Washington, D.C., requires tracking of “Soil Types.” To that end, there is an unmet need for a single system that includes customization features to allow flexibility based on a given region.
Prior art real estate information systems have included products that provide information on the assumption that the system being installed is for a marketplace in which the entire set of requirements for the marketplace is the same. This approach reflects the assumption that the system would be used within a single geographical area, such as a county.
The features of one prior art system have, for example, included regionalization, in which more than 20 counties were included in a single multiple listing system. However, when such combinations of counties have been included in prior art systems, all of the counties have been required to conduct business identically, regardless of the needs of the local marketplace. Thus, for example, all users in all geographic areas have to provide input in the same fields for each piece of property, regardless of whether these fields are useful for the specific geographic area.
For example, property near the ocean frequently includes a field for “blocks to the beach.” However, for property located far from the ocean, input of information for this feature is not useful.
There remains an unmet need to provide a flexible single system for accommodating many users with differing real estate listing needs.